Cooking with the Town Clerks Touts New England Recipes

Did you ever wonder what Governor M. Jodi Rell cooks in her kitchen? Have you ever wanted to try Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick's recipe for such Bay State favorites as Boston Brown Bread and New England Clam Chowder? Well now you can eat like the New England Governors do because their personal recipes are in a cook book called, "Cooking with the Clerks". The book features over 300 personal recipes from Town Clerks and Municipal employees from every New England state. The proceeds from the sale of the book will help cover the cost of the 2011 Conference of the New England Association of City and Town Clerks that will be held in Connecticut.

Avon Town Clerk Ann Dearstyne submitted two recipes, one for Chicken Marbella and another with the catchy name of Certified Copy of a Chicken Pot Pie.

"The recipes I submitted are two of my favorites and I have served these dishes to many of my guests," Dearstyne said. "Each time I've received compliments for the wonderful taste and it is for that reason I wanted to share them."

Agnes Pier, the Windsor Town Clerk was more than happy to share her mother's Pumpkin Pie recipe, aptly called Betty's Pumpkin Pie. She also gave away the recipe she serves every Thanksgiving, aptly named, "Thanksgiving Chestnut Stuffing."

"It's a good cookbook with unique recipes," Pier stated. We've got five recipes from Governor Rell and even a buttermilk cake [recipe] from
Marguerite Phillips, the Bloomfield Town Clerk was eager to share two of her favorite recipes.

"My family would not want our annual family reunion picnic to happen without my famous potato salad. It is very tasty and easy to make. I also submitted my Kahlua cake recipe which is made in a buntd pan. This cake does not take long to make and is dense, moist and light. Perfect for desert or just for tea time."

Aside from Town Employees and New England Governors, State dignitaries Secretary of State Susan Bysiewicz and Comptroller Nancy Wyman are among the more well known personalities to have submitted their own recipes.

The idea of the cookbook was the brainchild of Berlin Town Clerk, Kate Wall and North Branford Town Clerk, Lisa Valenti. So far, Wall is pleased that the book has sold over 1,200 copies but insists that there are many more copies to sell.

"The book makes a great gift that anyone can enjoy," Wall said. "There are some great recipes. I tried [Massachusetts Governor] Deval Patrick's Boston Baked Beans recipe and it was really good. I even did a pineapple truffle on page 111 and served it to some dinner guests and they absolutely loved it."

Wall said that several sites are being considered for the upcoming conference. She stated that the conference will enable clerks from around the region to have training sessions, network and exchange ideas. She expects between 250 to 350 people will attend the conference. Wall hopes that the conference will help the clerks learn how to improve the efficiencies of their offices and help save money. Connecticut Town Clerks perform a variety of services for the public. They administer and record all land, vital statistics and election documents. They are also in charge of administering dog and hunting licenses, burial permits, registering trade names, and maintaining indexes of military records.

If your local town hall does not have a "Cooking With the Clerks" cookbook and you would like to purchase one, contact Kate Wall at kwall@town.berlin.ct.us.